Vs High School: The Nightly Tradition
by Leo Dane
Summary: <html><head></head>Every night, the group of friends play an online video game called "Red vs. Blue" together. The game can be frustrating as hell, but it's not something any of them plan on changing anytime soon.</html>


**Hello, and welcome to the first installment of my AU series: Vs High School!**

**Here's the run down: The gang, consisting of Church, Sarge, Caboose, Grif, Simmons, Sister, Tex, Tucker, Donut, Doc, Lopez, Sheila, and Agent Washington, are teenagers who attend the UNSC Public High School in the town of Halo, Arizona (shout out to my home state!). Every night they play an online video game called "Red vs. Blue". Sarge and Lopez are seniors, Sister is a freshmen, and everyone else are juniors. The official couples are Church/Caboose, Grif/Simmons, Doc/Donut, and Sheila/Lopez. Tucker has repressed feelings for Washington. Sarge is asexual. Grif and Sister were abandoned by their parents, so they live with Simmons and his mother Carol. Carolina is Church's older sister, and she is attending the Halo University alongside all the other Freelancers. Most of the AI's are teachers at the school, alongside Kimball, Doyle, and Emily Grey. Felix, Locus, and Omega are fellow students while Theta is North's kid.**

**This series will consist of oneshots, drabbles, and longer stories that form an ongoing plot involving mysterious events that have something to do with the online video game the gang plays every night.**

**Enjoy!**

"MOTHERFUCKING DAMMIT!"

Leonard Church, a sixteen-year old teenager with jet black hair that fell messily over his eyes, and a bit of stubble on his chin, cursed repeatedly, struggling to resist the temptation to beat his television screen to death with the controller in his hand. Over his headset, he could hear several other voices laughing. "Shut up, that was bullshit!" Leonard continued yelling.

"Ain't our fault you never pay attention," a girl's voice said.

"Shut up Kaikaina!" Leonard snapped.

"Hey, don't tell my sister to shut up!" another boy's voice came over the headset.

"Yeah, what he said!"

"Shut up Kaikaina!"

As the two voices continued to argue, a third boy's voice started speaking. "I'm sorry my team killed you, Church," the voice said, sounding sorrowful and timid.

Leonard sighed, and he felt his scowl turn to a smile at the sound of his boyfriend's voice. "No, it's okay Caboose," he said. "I'm just pissed at losing, it's the rage talking. You did great,"

"Yeah!" he heard Caboose cheer on the other side of the headset. "I hope we're on each other's team next time Church,"

"There's not gonna be a next time," another girl's voice said. "That was the last game of the night, remember?"

Leonard groaned aloud, along with many other voices.

"Dammit, why do you have to remind us Tex?"

"Because we all have that exam in Kimball's class first period, remember Wash?"

"Not me and Franklin! We have Kimball last period, so we can play a few extra games if we'd want to,"

"Aw, Frankie, you're so sweet to me!"

"Doc, Donut, enough with the sappiness!" an older voice barked out. "There ain't no room for sappy in Red vs. Blue!"

"Usted no diría que si usted tenía un amante que ser cursi con, pero por desgracia, usted es siempre solo que el hombre viejo en el cuerpo de un adolescente."

"Dammit, Lopez, SPEAK ENGLISH WHEN IN GAME. You know none of us can understand you!"

"I find Lopez's Spanish speaking skills to be quite attractive,"

"Gracias Sheila, mi amor,"

"Hey guys, I'm back and prepared to rock! Be ready to get your asses handed to you - Bow Chicka Bow Wow!"

"Tucker, we already finished the last game of the night, we're all logging off to study for Kimball's test,"

"What?! Aw, you guys suck, I told you not to finish playing without me!"

"Ya shouldn't left, dumbass,"

"Fuck you Church, I had to take my kid to a parent-teacher conference!"

"Aw, how is little Junior?"

"He's great! He only bit his teacher three times this week!"

"Aww, that's awesome! Give the tyke a kiss from me!"

"You wanna give it to me first? I'm sure it would be a lot easier to pass on that way,"

"Tucker, I will kill you,"

"Stop cockblocking me Dex!"

"KAI!"

"Why do I let you two live with me?"

"Uh, because I suck your-"

"GRIF, DON'T SAY THAT OUT LOUD!"

"Why not, you know it's true. Everyone knows it's true,"

"Bow Chicka-"

"TUCKER, DEATH IS IN YOUR FUTURE,"

"I-I don't want my mom to hear anything like that!"

"Simmons, dude," Leonard said. "Not only does your boyfriend live in the same house as you, you guys sleep in the same bed. I'm pretty sure Carol is aware you guys have sex,"

"Y-Yeah, but I..I don't WANT to know she knows!"

Leonard shook his head as Simmons continued sputtering. He could imagine the other boy was red as a tomato. It was almost Simmons's default expression. "Alright guys, let's seriously log off. I don't want to fail Kimball's test...again,"

The others all agreed, and one by one said their goodbye, their voices cutting off from the headphones on Leonard's ears. Leonard was about to take his headset off so he could log off the Red vs. Blue online platform, but he stopped as a voice that didn't leave spoke up.

"Church?"

"Yeah Caboose?"

"...Can I come over to your house to study? I'm...I'm not sure I understand all these equations and stuff,"

Leonard chuckled. "Yeah, go ahead Caboose. I'll leave the front door unlocked for you,"

"And then after we study, can we do the thing where we take all our clothes off and touch each other?"

Leonard blushed, mortified (and strangely aroused) by his boyfriend's "innocent" directness. "Uh...yeah, sure, we...w-we can DEFINITELY do that Caboose,"

"YAY! See you soon, Leo. I love you!"

"Love you too, Michael,"

"Tomorrow night, I hope we're on the same teams when we play RVB!"

"Me too," Leonard agreed, smiling again as he heard Caboose log off the game. Taking his headphones off, he prepared to do the same.

He and his friends had been playing that game together every night for two years now. It was their tradition, and no matter how annoying the game could be, it wasn't something he would give up.


End file.
